David Pless, a senior from Bates College and representing Iron Wood Track Club, felt like he took another step toward the 2016 Olympcics on Friday at the Oregon Twilight Meet.
Winning the men’s shot put with a throw of 64 feet, 1 inch, Pless threw just a foot short of his PR and three feet short of his ultimate goal.
“I’m training for the ’16 Olympics, and I know that to get there I need to throw a 67-3,” said Pless. “I threw a 65-1 last week in practice, so I know I’m getting close to where I need to be.”
Pless outlasted Darien Moore, representing Iron Wood Track Club, and Ron Perkins of Oregon, who threw, respectively, 62-3 and 53-3. With only a few meets left on the schedule, the training picks up for Pless while his eyes stay on the ultimate goal.
“I PR’d last week and just told myself today that I wanted to match that,” Pless said. “I came close to it, but felt really good in the process. I know I just need to keep working and keep getting stronger. I’ll get there someday.”
